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Just a reminder that we are very pleased to be hosting an event at the Guildford Book Festival together with the Guildford Amnesty International group. Irish journalist and author David Cronin will be speaking about his book "Balfour's Shadow - A Century of British Support for Zionism and Israel" on:

Wednesday 11 October at 7.30 pm

St. Nicolas Church Hall

Bury St Guildford, GU2 4AW

Over half the tickets for the event have already sold in advance. Although we hope that tickets will still be available on the door, you can be absolutely sure of a place at the event by purchasing a ticket in advance at Guildford Tourist Information Office or online at www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk

Looking forward to seeing many of you there for what will undoubtedly be an informative and thought-provoking event.

Dr Peter Shambrook, a reputed historian specialising in Middle Eastern history, gave a talk to WSPSC about the historical roots and consequences of the Balfour Declaration on Friday 22 October which enlightened and delighted a large audience at St Nicolas Church in Guildford.

He spoke about the role of the UK and quoted from a speech by the well-known Anglo-Jewish historian Sir Martin Gilbert (famous for his biography of Winston Churchill among other works) given in Israel in [2006?} when he said that:

/"The cornerstone of British mandatory policy was the withholding of representative institutions for as long as there was, in Palestine, an Arab majority"/

This neat summary of British policy between 1916 and 1948 exposes its fundamental hypocrisy and largely explains why the Palestinian people have suffered from its consequences for the last 100 years.

There are several events planned both locally and nationally to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration in November. We are pleased to have two separate events in Guildford. The first is a talk and film by Dr Peter Shambrook and the second is an event together with the Guildford Amnesty International group as part of the Guildford Book Festival with the author and journalist David Cronin. Although both examine the history and impact of the Balfour Declaration, they approach the topic from different perspectives and we would strongly encourage you to attend both events if possible. You can find further details below.

Organizers of the famed Italian cycling race Giro d’Italia have announced the start of the 2018 edition from Israel, starting in Jerusalem followed by stages from Haifa to Tel Aviv and in the Naqab (Negev).

The race will ‘celebrate’ the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment on the ruins of the Palestinian homeland and through the ethnic cleansing, or Nakba, of a majority of the indigenous Palestinians.

We have to act to stop this sports-washing of Israel’s occupation and apartheid, dubbed by the media as “a big political coup for [Israel], which has been striving to paint a picture of 'normal' life.”